Modellers who missed the initial release of Airfix's 1/72 Armstrong-Whitworth Whitley Mk.V now have another opportunity to build this World War Two medium bomber.
The third iteration of Airfix’s 1/72 Whitley is a straightforward re-boxing of the 2015 release, with parts and decals unchanged, allowing for one of two airframes to be built. One immediate difference – other than the reworked boxtop artwork – is that parts are in the firm’s more recent styrene, which is a dark grey colour and more rigid than the earlier light-grey material. There are six styrene runners, of which two are for clear parts, including alternative canopies (with/without astrodome ‘blister’) and the moulding quality is first-rate. If you haven’t seen the detail on offer, then it’s up there with the firm’s Lancaster and Blenheim kits, with a well-appointed cockpit plus bomb aimer, navigator and radio operator stations. These are joined by two fuselage bomb bays – the wing bomb ‘cells’ are represented as engraved panels – and a superb four-gun rear turret.
The well-printed decal sheet supplies markings for two airframes, with optional overpainted fin flashes and roundels for the second, overall Night, scheme:
- N1380/DY-R, Sqn Ldr John Charles MacDonald, 102 Squadron, 4 Group (Bomber Command), RAF Driffield, Yorkshire, March 1940
- Z9226/ZA-K, 10 Squadron, 4 Group (Bomber Command), RAF Leeming, Yorkshire, December 1941
Airfix’s 1/72 Armstrong-Whitworth Whitley Mk.V is available direct https://uk.airfix.com for £39.99 and at all good model stores.
